Here in Vancouver, we have a year-round love affair with seafood, but something about lobster screams summer. Just in time for the sweet, sunny season, Richmond-based bakery chain Saint Germain has brought back their popular limited edition lobster roll.
This is the third year Saint Germain has offered their signature lobster roll, but this year’s version is an updated recipe developed by their championship culinary team.
Saint Germain Bakery has a long history in the region. The business was founded in 1986 with its first shop on Cambie Street in Vancouver. The business, known for its mix of Chinese and western baked goods, has expanded significantly over the years. Its home base is now in Richmond, and they have stores in Metro Vancouver and in Ontario, though past expansions saw Saint Germain operating in U.S. cities like Seattle and Los Angeles.
I went behind the scenes at Saint Germain Bakery's Aberdeen mall location to get a glimpse at how they make their lobster rolls.
At Saint Germain, they season and roast whole lobster tails in small batches at each bakery location. They make a dozen sandwiches each batch, rolling out fresh batches during the day until they're sold out.
Each sandwich gets three pieces (which equals one-and-half tails), which are chopped and tossed in lobster mayo.
Their house lobster mayo is regular mayo mixed with a base made from the rest of the lobster, so nothing goes to waste.
In fact, the meat and shells (apart from the tails) are also put to good use by Saint Germain's culinary staff, who make a fresh lobster bisque. As part of the bakery's ongoing promo, customers get a cup of rich, creamy, piping hot lobster bisque for free with a lobster roll purchase.
One sandwich at a time, the lobster filling is piled into soft, house-baked rolls with cucumber, a sprinkling of chives, and a lemon wedge on the side.
You can find the seasonal lobster roll at all seven Saint Germain locations across Metro Vancouver this summer. There are two locations in Vancouver (Kerrisdale and Knight/33rd), two in Richmond, and one each in Burnaby, Coquitlam, and Surrey. The lobster roll is available while supplies last daily and each roll (with free cup of bisque) is $19.
Watch: How Saint Germain Bakery's Lobster Roll is made
@forkingawesomevia I couldn’t turn down an invite to go in the kitchen at Saint Germain Bakery in Richmond at Aberdeen to see how they make their seasonal lobster rolls. They walked me through the process and then I got to try a roll and a cup of lobster bisque. It’s a nice summer treat and I loved getting to learn more about this BC and Ontario bakery business that started 40 years ago here in Vancouver. 📍1395 E 33rd, Vancouver 📍 2319 W 41st, Vancouver 📍 Metropolis at Metrotown, Burnaby 📍Richmond Centre mall 📍 Aberdeen Centre, Richmond 📍 Coquitlam Centre mall 📍Guildford Town Centre, Surrey #forkingawesome #vancouverbc #notsponsored ♬ original sound - Mr Jackson
🍽 Find more delicious Metro Vancouver food and drink video stories by following V.I.A.'s Forking Awesome on TikTok and Instagram, and signing up for our Forking Awesome newsletter 📬 delivered fresh to your inbox every Thursday.
